Consequences
by scarletroseblade
Summary: Scott is mortally wounded, leaving Jean behind to investigate the only hope they have to save him, a mutant created by Sinister that might have the ability to heal. Jott, Logan, Kurt and Kitty
1. Chapter 1

Sorry for the shorty, but a chapter ends when it ends.

_Italics_ -Stream of thought

_:Italics:_ - Telepathy

Consequences

Chapter 1

Jean Grey stool alone in the Medbay, a single light overhead the sole source of illumination in the huge room. She laid her palm on the burnished steel cylinder and let the cold seep into her skin. It was the closest she could now get to her husband who was held in cryo storage within. There was an echo in her mind where he had been, a silence that was so vast she couldn't imagine an end. Tears burned her eyes as the ache gripped her chest_. I didn't think I had tears left, there's always more._ But the space where Scott had been was so quiet; it was the emptiness that cut at her.

The explosion was still fresh in her mind, the blast had ripped apart the warehouse, a rolling wave of fire that caught them all off guard. She threw up a barrier to shield the team from the brunt of the assault, but as usual, Scott was in the lead. Charging ahead, he was well away from the group when the explosives were triggered. And too far away to receive any benefit from the protection that Jean had offered. Even with the shield, she'd been thrown to the ground, twisted steel and super heated debris rained down from the sky. Disoriented from the blast, her head rung from the concussion and she fought to regain her footing. "Scott!" She had called out through the smoke and flame. "Answer me!"

Even then, his presence had faded. _"Jean, help."_

Back in the Medbay, Jean wiped her tears away with her fingertips. As the image flickered in her mind, she could smell the acrid smoke and feel the chunks of debris beneath her feet as she moved towards Scott. His back was towards her as he lay on his side and at first she hadn't processed what she saw. The triangular piece of metal sticking from his back and the wide swath of blood trickling steadily unto the dusty floor. As she had come around him, to her horror she saw the huge hunk of twisted steel had pierced him through. It was all she could do to concentrate, to cut off his mind from the pain his body was sending.

_:Honey, it's going be okay. We're going to get you home.:_

His presence was weakening, even if he no longer felt the pain from his injuries. _I'm so tired, babe. I just want to sleep._

_:Don't go, Scott. Stay with me. Listen, stay with me.:_

But he hadn't. Lifting her hand from the steel chilled by the freon that was now keeping her husband in a freezing stasis, Jean regarded the chamber. It was rounded, modern and nearly beautiful with clean lines and a simple purity in form. Nothing like a coffin, but it might as well have been.

She felt Hank's presence, a mind that moved faster than any other in the Mansion, making the large blue furred doctor easy to detect. "Hank, I want options."

Dr. Henry McCoy regarded her for a long moment before responding. "May I say something first?"

Jean turned towards him, already irritated. "A lecture?"

"No, a word of caution. Give me some time, Jean. I can't work miracles overnight."

"How much time do you think you'll need?"

The doctor took off his glasses, folding them up thoughtfully on the lab station next to him. "I can't say, but Moira and I are considering a cybernetic enhancement for his spine, that's our first major hurdle. Without it, his respiration would be greatly compromised."

"That would still leave him a paraplegic, correct?"

"But he'd be alive, he'd survive. That's if we can resuscitate him from stasis, also another issue Moira and I are taking on. We think that we can repair the damage to his artery before the procedure, but then there are his lungs as well. There are so many variables here."

Her anger tightened her throat. "Think, consider, if. You don't sound as confident as you did when you froze him."

Hank's temper was rising to match hers. "Well pick one, Jean. Do you want me to be a friend or a doctor? Your friend put Scott in stasis and your doctor-" He couldn't finish, turning his back angrily on Jean.

"My doctor thinks he's a lost cause." Jean's voice caught in her throat. "I'm no idiot, Hank. I know how serious this is, so don't try to soften the blow for me. What are my options?"

The large blue furred doctor did not turn around. "Sinister."

"No." Jean breathed out, horrified. "Scott would never forgive me."

"You asked and I answered. Mojo, he has the tech to keep Scott alive."

Jean closed her eyes against the nightmare that his suggestion created. "I think we're going in the wrong direction."

"Nathan."

She shook her head, not understanding. "What?"

"Nathan. He and I had an interesting conversation about a rumor both he and I heard. Totally uncorroborated and I was unable to validate any of the claims. But yet, it comes back to Sinister."

"Go on."

"Nathan told me that Sinister was the head of a gene manipulation project in the seventies, trying to create very powerful mutants. But not elementalists, mentalists or even energy projectors. He was trying for someone who could manipulate biology on a cellular or even atomic level. I've known about this for years, but after the first few dead ends never had time to substantiate it. "

"Manipulate biology?" Jean shrugged. "I don't see how that's relevant."

"A healer, Jean. Someone who could make cells whole again, thus effecting the tissue, then the organ then the organism."

"Oh my god." Jean felt hope rise through her. "If we could find that mutant-"

"If they even exist. It's a goose chase, like looking for the Holy Grail or even the damn Easter bunny. Who knows if Sinister even was successful?" Hank skepticism was leaden. "It's just another option, Jean."

"It's the best one I've heard yet." Jean strode out of the Medlab with a purpose.

She walked right past Logan, who had been waiting patiently outside. "Red." He said in a voice that was more snarl than anything else.

"What?" Jean said, distractedly, pausing in the hall.

"There's a plan, I can see it all over you." He rubbed his knuckles suggestively. "If there's some violence involved, I might be of help."

She softened a moment, looking at her friend. There had always been tension between them, an untapped chemistry. But even now, he was a trusted ally, guarding her back as always. "Not revenge, not yet. We'll save that party for another day. This is so crazy, I don't think I even believe it. But there's nothing else I can do except sit here and wait until Hank tells me there's nothing left to hope for."

Logan didn't move, just watched her with dark eyes. "What's the plan?"

"Sinister. He's _might_ have created a mutant we _might_ be able to use _if_ we can find them."

"Gotta love a hopeless cause." Logan's lips pulled up into a lopsided grin. "What's our move?"

"Gather a team, then intel, then an attack strategy. But that's just a guess." Jean smiled back.

Nodding, he joined her, walking to the elevator at the end of the hall. "Sounds like you might have seen this done before."

"Just a couple of times." Jean said, a vision of Scott leaning over the War Room table as he directed the team flickered in her mind as the elevator door closed.


	2. Chapter 2

To all my reviewers: Thanks for the continued support, I love writing jott, as you can tell. Here's to my muse and the strength to write an epic, cause I've got lots of plans.. Wish me luck!

_Italics_ -Stream of thought

_:Italics:_ - Telepathy

Consequences

Chapter 2

The War Room was quiet as the assembled filed in. Warren took the lead, tucking his wings in close to his body as he edged around the long oblong table. Ororo followed, looking her usual statuesque self even in the white sweatshirt and blue jeans she wore. Kitty skirted around the other side, appearing unusually young with her hair pulled up in a playful ponytail. Kurt trailed her, his usual somber self although his tail twitched in agitation. Bobby came in next, the long sleeves of his black turtleneck pushed up around his elbows. Betsy strolled in with her usual killer grace, her lavender eyes grazing the room in slow strokes as she sat. Then Logan, the only one to meet her eyes as he sat at the opposite end, an unlit cigar stub clenched between his teeth.

Jean decided to remain standing, cementing her position as leader. She chose her words carefully, knowing full well that even though they'd worked together for years it was up to her to set the precedent. "I know that you're all well aware of Scott's condition and that's precisely why I've asked you to come on such short notice." Crossing her arms over her chest, Jean continued. "I'm assembling a team to help me track down someone, a mutant, who might be able to help Scott. I don't want to reveal too many details, the fewer who know about it the better. But it comes down to this. I need Ororo to lead the X-Men in Scott's absence."

Bobby leaned back in his chair, his resentment plain. "I"ve been an X-Man for a long damn time, Jean. Why is it that my name isn't thrown into the hat for team leader?"

"It comes down to experience, Bobby." Jean explained, surprised by his reaction. "Ororo led the X-Men for years. She's the one for the job."

"But what if I believe my expertise will be better served helping bring Scott back to us?" Ororo arched a delicate white eyebrow. "Why am I not considered for your mission?"

Swallowing her discomfort, Jean took a different tactic. "I need Logan, Kurt and Kitty. They will help me get in and out of places with minimal detection and that will be vital. The rest of you," She motioned to the group, ignoring Bobby's discontent. "Will be better served fighting the good fight while we're gone, not to mention protecting Hank and Scott."

Warren and Betsy exchanged glances across the table. Warren nodded slightly. "I don't see a problem with this Jean. I for one," He shot a barbed look at Bobby, "Don't have anything to complain about."

"I agree. Two telepaths on one team is quite redundant, I don't like playing second fiddle to you anyhow." Betsy smiled slyly at Jean. _:Don't worry about Bobby, we'll set him straight.:_

"I'll be happy to do anything I can." Kitty said, quietly.

Kurt chimed in as well. "A crusade? This is familiar territory."

Logan, not surprisingly was the last to speak. "No, elf. Hopeless cause. So don't get your panties in a bunch, Frosty." His eyes shifted to catch Jean's. "We ain't doing Mardi Gras."

Resigned, Ororo stood slowly. "I am honored to lead the team again, Jean. I just wanted to do more, I suppose. We should leave them to their plans." She paused looking down for a moment as if struggling to say more before she left the room.

Bobby walked out briskly, ignoring them all. Warren and Betsy followed, closing the door behind them.

"Well, that's that." Jean said, wishing it had gone as smoothly as it had when she rehearsed it in her mind. "Now down to business. Is the jet prepped?"

"Ready to fly, Cap'n." Logan said from around the cigar.

Kitty shifted in her seat. "I have to admit, I was surprised when you called me."

"The plain and simple truth is that I need you, I need you all to help me bring back Scott. I can't think of anyone more suited to the job." Jean sat down. "We're going to San Francisco, tonight as soon as you're ready. We've got a date with X-Force."

It was Kurt's turn to smirk. He tossed a knowing glance at Logan. "Oh, this will be charming, ja?"

"Last I heard there was no love lost between X-Force and us. Whose to say that Domino won't shoot first and ask questions later?" Kitty chewed on a fingernail nervously.

"I've already contacted Nathan. He knows we're coming." Jean had been very vague in her email to Nathan, just indicating she wanted a face-to-face meeting. She only hoped that her decision to keep her intentions to herself was the right one. "But this isn't official business, per say. We're going in civvies only, but pack uniforms just in case."

Logan nodded slightly, approving of her decision. "Let's not come ready to scrap and we might not give a trigger happy girl a reason to twitch."

"All right then." Jean glanced down at her watch. "We leave in fifteen minutes."

The jet was dark as she boarded the ramp, her footfalls on the metal steps echoed through the hangar. How many times had she taken these stairs? Sometimes at a leisurely pace, at a dead run or even carried up them with strong arms beneath her. And yet, Scott had always been near, a pillar of unbreakable strength for so long that she had taken his constant presence for granted. He had always been there, protecting her. Even in the depths of the mansion, surrounded by the weight of the building above and the fuselage of the jet, she was suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable.

As soon as she stepped into the cabin of the jet, she caught a whiff of the dusky sweetness of cigar smoke. "Logan, I can't believe you're smoking in here." She stowed her bag in a locker beneath one of the seats and shut the door. "You could've at least turned on the lights."

"Not smokin' now, Red. Just waiting for the Cap'n."

"Good enough." She said, slipping into the pilot seat. Fastening the harness around her, the straps were a small comfort. At least something was holding onto her. She flipped on the nav computer, pressing her palm to the ID lock.

The computer voice greeted her. "Thank you, Jean Grey. Cycling engines now."

Lights in the cabin flickered to life, monitors flashed on as the rumble of the engines roared in the hangar. Jean knew the warm up sequence so well she flipped switches automatically, double checking the coordinates, fuel, energy out put and systems readiness. She could've done this in her sleep.

"You didn't do half bad back there." Logan offered from the co-pilot seat.

Jean nodded, distracted as she adjusted the port engine fuel intake. "Thanks. Bobby threw me though."

"Don't sweat it. You made the right move. 'Ro will take care of things."

An acrid brimstone cloud bloomed in the air behind them, revealing Kurt and Kitty each with bags in hand. "Leaving without us?" Kurt asked as he buckled himself in.

"Not a chance." Jean said quietly, pressing the series of buttons to lift the ramp and pressurize the cabin. She slid her earpiece on and typed a command into the computer, opening the hangar doors over head. "Storm?"

"Yes, Jean. You don't even have to say it, my friend. We'll get in touch if anything changes."

"That's all I ask. See you soon." Jean said quietly, engaging the thrusters that shot them out into the twilight sky.

The San Francisco skyline was striking, even in the dark of night. The peaks and spires lit from within from the random office windows against the black velvet backdrop of the San Francisco Bay. Banking left, she eased the jet down wards in a slow spiral, eying the carefully camouflaged warehouse rooftop in the seedy Mission district. As they approached, the specially designed beacon within the jet activated the landing lights on the rooftop that created a giant X.

"That's new." Jean murmured to herself, initiating the hover mode that helped them sink down slowly through the air.

The jet touched down on the specially reinforced rooftop, and the ramp lowered. Jean was the first out, her skin chilling in the damp ocean scented air. "No welcoming committee. What does that say to you?" She asked Logan, who was very close behind her.

"So far so good." He said, eyeing the surroundings carefully. "Right behind you, Cap'n."

Rooftop access for the warehouse was a small shack like structure at the far corner, no bigger than a closet with a single door. As Jean approached, a panel adjacent to the doorframe opened, revealing a monitor within. Domino's face appeared and even through the grainy connection, her irritation was plain. "Quite a boarding party you've assembled there, Jean."

"You know it's not like that, Dom." _Already on her bad side. Great._ "Nathan agreed to meet me."

Domino raised both eyebrows at her, her indignation plain. "_Nate_ agreed to meet _you, _and only _you_. It's not my fault you're unable to follow simple directions. Fuck off."

The monitor went dark.

"Someone woke up cranky." Kitty whispered, a light tremble betraying her nerves.

"No worries, kiddo. We've gotcha covered." Logan edged closer to the frightened girl, his eyes on Jean. "What's our move?"

"I don't have time for this." She reached her mind out, looking for Nathan.

She found him on the second floor of the warehouse below, lying in bed in his room. She brushed against his mind gently, a telepathic equivalent of a knock at the door. _:Nathan.:_

_:Red.:_ He acknowledged back, yet his mental presence was distracted as if his attention was highly focused elsewhere.

_:Mind if we come in? Domino doesn't seem to think we have the password to enter your playhouse.: _

Jean felt his mental chuckle_. :She's been very protective lately. I'll let her know that you can come in.:_

_:I brought Logan, Kurt and Kitty as well, will that be a problem:_

:_Ah, well that explains it. Last we met, she and Logan got into it, remember? She's still pissed about that, so tell Logan to keep his yap shut.:_

Jean nodded slightly. _:Not in so many words, but I will.:_

The monitor remained black as the door hissed, the hydraulic locks slowly cycled open. The door that looked deceptively like a weather beaten and pitted metal door opened slowly revealing the eight-inch thick slab of steel it really was. Amber lights colored the burnished steel hallway in a yellow gray glow as they followed Jean down the stairwell. "Logan, I need you not to antagonize Dom. Apparently she's still irritated from the last time you two duked it out."

"'Cause I mopped the floor with her pearly white ass, but whose countin'?"

"Logan, please." Jean paused, glancing at him over her shoulder. "Don't mess this up for me."

His craggy face softened under her gaze, the wicked smirk fading away. "Yeah, Jeannie. I get ya."

"Thanks."

They took the stairs down one more level to on opened door waited for them. Dom waited just beyond in a room that looked very much like the War Room back at the Mansion. It had been quite some time since she'd been at X-Force HQ, but she couldn't ever remember being in this room before. "Domino. Thanks for letting us all in." Jean knew better than to extend her hand or offer any more pleasantries than were absolutely necessary.

The woman's contempt was plain. "You're only here because Nate gave the okay. I don't need to tell you about how I feel about your band of merry men."

_Acidic as usual._ "May I see him?"

Domino seemed more preoccupied with staring Logan down, than listening to Jean. "Don't smile at me asshole," She patted her two holstered pistols on her hips. "I'll wipe that shit eating grin off your face so fast-"

:Logan: Jean hissed at him mentally, sending her own withering glare his way.

Kitty had stepped behind him, laying her hand on his shoulder and phasing them both. "Play nice, please." She said softly, yet her eyes were leveled at Domino.

"Yes, Dom. Put your toys away." It was Nathan. But not the Nathan any one of them remembered.

The techno virus that he'd been infected with as an infant had only been kept in check by his constant telekinetic vigilance to keep it from spreading. It had consumed his arm long ago and had taken over his left eye. Nathan was shirtless and bare footed, allowing them all to see how far the virus had spread over his body. One foot was completely metallic as was his torso and neck, tiny threads of metal extended like plant like tendrils snaking into organic skin trying to take over new territory. His skin was ashen as he leaned heavily on the doorframe into their War Room.

_:Oh, Nathan.:_ Jean whispered in his mind. _:Why didn't you tell us:_ Even though he was not her son by her womb, she still loved Nathan as the son that she and Scott should've had.

:_What's to tell:_ He said back to her, subdued and defeated. "Dr. McCoy and I have had long, pointless discussions about my condition. All the treatments that worked before don't now. The virus is a smart little fucker and has adapted to everything we've thrown at it. Now it seems that even my TK can't keep it in check. But that's old news." He moved slowly to sit down in one of the chairs at a nearby console, taking special care to sit as if every movement was excruciating. "So what brings you to our humble HQ?"

Jean searched her stepson's face, scraping up the courage to give someone so obviously fragile even more bad news. "We were investigating a warehouse in Hong Kong, just about three days ago, looking into a mutant smuggling operation. It turned out to be rigged with a truck load of plastique and when it blew, Scott was unprotected." She paused, feeling the cold slice of guilt through her chest. "He was just too far away from me-" Jean cleared her throat and looked up, willing her eyes not to betray her with tears. "He caught a piece of shrapnel through his chest and-" Her voice broke.

"Is he dead?" Nathan asked, his left eye glowing intently.

"Technically, no. He's in cryo stasis while Moira and Hank try to figure out how to put him back together again."

Nathan looked at Jean stonily, absorbing the information for a long moment. "You could've told me this over the comms. Why are you here?" He smiled bitterly and smacked his fist on the console counter top, making Kitty jump. "Hank spilled the beans, didn't he?"

"Hank told me about a rumor involving Sinister and-"

"I can't fucking believe this! After all this time, now you want to chase after Sinister's little pet project. Jesus Christ!"

"_Nathan!" _Jean was stunned and struggled to find the words. "This is your _father_. Don't you think if there is anything you can do to help him-"

"Get out! You are not taking this away from me, this is my fight. MINE!" Nathan struggled to stand, his fury contorting his face into a mask of bestial anger.

To Jean's surprise, it was Domino who was the voice of reason. "Jean, let me talk to him. But leave, now." Her voice was nearly gentle as she stepped between mother and son. Helping Nathan to stand, she glanced at Jean apologizing with her eyes. "Just go."

Opening her mouth to say more, she watched in abject horror, as the tiny hairline metallic tendrils snaking across Nathan's skin seemed to swell before her eyes. The confrontation alone caused Nathan to lose focus on the techno virus and it seemed to capitalize on an opportunity to gain new ground. _He's your father, he would've sacrificed his life to save you from this and you just can't see it._

"C'mon Jeannie. There's nothing to do here." Logan growled behind her.

She wrestled with herself for a moment, watching Nathan and Domino retreat into the neighboring room. Her telepathy was second only to Charles Xavier, she could pull apart his mind like an orange and eviscerate every segment for the information she needed. Had Nathan been any other person, the option would've been tempting, but this was Nathan, the closest person she had to a child. Scott's eyes looked out at her from Nathan's face and she couldn't do it, she couldn't hurt him even if it meant leaving Scott in that cold metal tube. "Fine." She said, dejectedly as she turned around to take them back to where they'd come.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

It was the first snow of the season, the first real snow that blanketed everything in fluffy white that softened the world. The only reason Jean knew this was that Jubilee still had some in her hair as she led Bobby into the medbay. Bobby, however, seemed none too pleased by the forceful ministrations of his much younger companion. "It's not broken. I don't think this is really-"

"It's swelling and turning a lovely purple. It's broken." Jubes declared, pushing him unsympathetically towards an unoccupied bed. "If you weren't so busy trying to cream me with a snowball you would've seen the ice."

"_Black_ ice. They call it _black_ ice for a reason."

Jubes turned, scanning the room. "Hank said he was right behind us-" The young woman paused, eyeing Jean reclining on a neighboring bed. Jubes couldn't help it, her eyes flickered to the large steel cylinder that held Scott before returning her attention back on the telepath. "Hey, Jean. Didn't see you there."

_They all see me as a widow, no longer as a wife._ "Looks like you guys have been getting into trouble." Jean tilted her head back and kept the gauze firmly pressed to her nose even as the blood trickled down the back of her throat.

"You okay?" Bobby offered, easing carefully up onto the exam table, cradling his injured arm.

Jean nodded. "Just another nosebleed, nothing serious." She closed her eyes against the light in hopes it would encourage her head to stop pulsating. This is what happened when she spent too much time in Cerebro, exceeding the max hours allowed. But she had to start again; there was no other alternative. She was going to find that mutant, Sinister's little science project. There was nothing else left for her to do.

"Ah, right on time, Jean." Hank made no effort to hide his smug tone. "Can't say that I didn't apprise you of the risks. But I believe the Mr. Drake requires my attention as well, although I can't understand exactly how the Iceman slipped on-" He waited for a moment. "Ah yes. Ice."

"Salt in the wound, Beast. Can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

"Perhaps you should've salted the ice first?" Hank retorted.

Jean couldn't help but smile; poor Bobby wouldn't be hearing the end of this one for a while. Her mind was so numb that she didn't feel Logan enter the room.

"Jeannie."

"Don't start. I've heard it before and not just from you." She murmured under her breath, not wanting to let Jubes and Bobby in on the lecture. "I don't have a choice."

"Bullshit, Jean. It's been three months. It's high time that we take a realistic look at the future."

Her eyes flew open as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. "Only three months. _Only_! I can't believe you! You are the man who NEVER gives up, that there is always a solution for every problem."

"There is a solution, Jeannie." Logan left the unsaid hanging in the air between them, his dark eyes imploring her. "You are going to slowly kill yourself in Cerebro, searching the earth for the _second_ time for a mutant that doesn't exist."

"I must've missed him the first time around." Jean said, pushing the gauze back to her nose as a fresh gush flowed. The room tilted slightly as her inner ear readjusted itself, causing her to sway where she sat.

Logan grabbed her shoulders to steady her as his anger boiled to the surface. "Goddamnit, this is what I'm talking about." Looking down and away, he shook his head slowly. "I'm just going to say it. I swore to myself that with Scott gone I would never leave your side. But I'll be damned if I'm going to stand by and watch you fry your brain to a crisp looking for a ghost."

Jean pushed his hands away, staring him down, but her anger couldn't hold her for long. "What am I supposed to do?" Her eyes burned with fresh tears and she made no effort to hide them. "Put yourself in my shoes and tell me when it's okay to let go. Because, I can't!"

"That's what I tell myself every day, Jeannie. No one doubts that you'd walk an ocean of broken glass to get to Scott." He cupped her face with one hand, wiping away the blood from her nose with the other. "But this ocean doesn't have an end, kid."

Jean let go of the breath that she'd been holding, freeing the sobs that were trapped behind it. It had been three very long months, twelve-hour shifts in Cerebro searching every continent, investigating every mutant she could find. None held the ability to manipulate biology. She hadn't taken a break, every day had been the same and the effects of her unending work were beginning to manifest physical symptoms that she could no longer ignore.

Logan had kept his distance for so long, eyeing her with silent smoldering stares that did nothing to dissuade her from her self imposed quest. And now, with him so close speaking to her with tenderness she seldom heard, it was disarming. She ached for Scott, was heart sick and alone in a world that had held them both. Yet, Logan offered solace that had been so long denied. She pushed his hand away gently, and held it in her own for a long moment before letting it fall to his side.

"Scott would not let you destroy yourself for his sake."

"Well, he doesn't get a say." Jean straightened her back and challenged Logan with her eyes.

He closed his eyes slowly, forcing back words he shouldn't say. "Then don't expect me to stay here to witness it."

Jean watched him leave the Medbay with Jubes right behind him. Apparently the argument hadn't been as quiet as she had intended.


End file.
